Why People File a Quitclaim Deed in Saguache County
Just Got Married
Whether you got married this year or a decade ago, if the title still only has one name on it, a quitclaim deed can bring it current.
Going Through a Divorce
A former spouse's name lingering on a title after divorce is more common than people expect — a quitclaim deed is the standard fix.
Inherited Property
A quitclaim deed lets an heir take on the recorded title without treating the inheritance like a purchase.
Gifting to Family
A quitclaim deed can add or remove family members from a title as many times as a family's plans change, without ever involving a sale.
About the Saguache County Clerk and Recorder
Saguache County was organized in 1866 as the northern gateway to the San Luis Valley, and its name comes from a Ute word for "blue-green earth," describing the forested band of hillside visible between the valley floor and the high peaks. Like much of the region, the county's early growth was tied to mining: a silver-lead-manganese strike along Kerber Creek in 1879 built the boomtown of Bonanza, complete with a smelter that ran for a few years before the ore played out. Cattle and sheep ranching sustained the county through the twentieth century, and the town of Crestone -- once a mining and ranching outpost -- has since become an internationally known center for Buddhist, Hindu, and other spiritual communities and retreat centers.
Cities and Communities Served
Recording jurisdiction runs countywide, not by city limits — if the property sits anywhere within Saguache County, this is the Saguache County Clerk and Recorder that will accept the deed. That includes:
Incorporated cities: Saguache (county seat), Center, Crestone, Moffat, Bonanza.
Unincorporated communities: Villa Grove, La Garita, Mineral Hot Springs, Sargents.
Center's town limits cross into neighboring Rio Grande County, but most of the town and its population lie within Saguache County. Bonanza is a former silver-mining boomtown with only a handful of year-round residents today.
Office Details
Address: 501 4th Street, Main Floor, Saguache, CO 81149 (mailing: PO Box 176, Saguache, CO 81149)
Phone: (719) 655-2512
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Recording Fee: a flat statewide per-document recording fee set by Colorado statute, the same regardless of page count, plus a small state technology surcharge, and a separate documentary fee calculated as a percentage of the sale price on deeds transferring real property
E-recording: Yes -- Saguache County accepts e-recording through Simplifile and CSC (erecording.com).
Good to know before you go: The Saguache County Courthouse closes to the public at 4:00 PM, and the Clerk and Recorder's office cannot guarantee same-day completion for business not finished by 3:45 PM, because the office must reconcile and report each day's transactions to the state before closing. Arrive well before mid-afternoon if you need a document recorded the same day.
How to File a Document
- Sign in Front of a Notary: Colorado requires the grantor's signature to be acknowledged before a notary public before the Saguache County Clerk and Recorder will accept a deed for recording. No witnesses are required beyond the notary, and the grantee doesn't need to sign at all -- just the person giving up their interest in the property.
- Attach a Full Legal Description, Not Just an Address: A street address alone won't satisfy Colorado's requirements -- the deed needs the property's actual legal description (a metes-and-bounds description, a government survey reference, or a platted lot and block, depending on how the parcel was originally surveyed). You can usually copy this directly from the deed that transferred the property to you.
- Complete a Real Property Transfer Declaration (TD-1000): Colorado requires a separate Real Property Transfer Declaration (TD-1000) to accompany most deeds when they're filed, signed by the buyer or seller. It's a distinct form with its own signature, not a box you check on the deed -- the Saguache County Clerk and Recorder can provide the current version and confirm whether your situation qualifies for an exemption.
- Consider Online Notarization if an In-Person Visit Is Hard: Colorado has permitted remote online notarization since Senate Bill 20-096 took effect on December 31, 2020 (C.R.S. § 24-21-514.5) -- so if getting to a notary's office in person is inconvenient, a signer may be able to complete the acknowledgment over live video with a Colorado-commissioned online notary instead.
- Record with the County Clerk and Recorder: Bring, mail, or (where the county supports it) e-file the signed, notarized deed and its Transfer Declaration with the Saguache County Clerk and Recorder for the county where the property sits. Colorado's recording fee is set by state statute -- a flat rate per document -- and on top of that, Colorado charges a documentary fee calculated as a small percentage of the sale price, separate from the flat recording fee.
Still Have Questions About Filing With the Saguache County Clerk and Recorder?
Ask below and get an instant answer on Colorado quitclaim deeds.
Other Counties in Colorado
Filing somewhere else in the state? Here are a few other county pages:
You are not on the official Saguache County government website. ColoradoQuitclaimDeed.com is a privately owned website and is not affiliated with any government agency.